PARENTHOOD.IE

You probably forgot some of the rhymes, with a bit of help we hope to jog your memory. A great game for older children is the clapping rhymes we played in the school yard. A game for children that can be played anywhere and anytime.

Here are two of our favourite rhymes to start you of with. Start off with a simple hand clapping and include new variations once your child gets a hang of it. Don’t forget to encourage your child to be creative in the variations as well. It will teach coordination and a feel for rhythm. The clapping and rhyming can go as fast or as slow as you like.

Miss Mary Mack

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,
All dressed in black, black, black,
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back
She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For fifty cents, cents, cents,
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants,
Jump over the fence, fence, fence,
They went so high, high, high
They reached the sky, sky, sky
They never came back, back, back,
Till The Fourth of July, ly, ly.

How to clap

You can just clap your partners opposite hand while singing the rhyme. You can also cross your hands, clap your shoulders, then your knees at the beginning of each verse. Finishing off by clapping your partners opposite hand at every three word repetition.

See two little girl's Youtube video to get inspiration.

A sailor went to sea

A sailor went to sea sea sea
To see what he could see see see
And all that he could see see see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea

Miss Lucy had a baby

Miss Lucy Had a Baby
Miss Lucy had a baby,
She named him Tiny Tim
She put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
He ate up all the soap,
He tried to eat the bathtub,
But it wouldn't go down his throat.
Miss Lucy called the Doctor,
Miss Lucy called the Nurse,
Miss Lucy called the lady
With the alligator purse.